Town lost out to fellow promotion-chasers Deeping Rangers at Outgang Road, but they can count themselves unlucky not to have returned with something from a game they played the entire second half a man short.

Charlie Evans's dismissal just before the interval came with the two sides level one apiece, but despite this disadvantage, Valley went on to take the lead on 64 minutes when Ryan Seal added to his earlier penalty.

However the hosts struck twice in six minutes later in the period to secure a valuable three points. Rugby's starting line-up showed two changes from their previous fixture eleven days earlier - the record breaking demolition of Desborough, with Lee Thomas and Keenah Rosser returning to the back-line.

Deeping had edged the early exchanges, with Dan Jarvis's off-target curled effort around the quarter of an hour mark representing their best opportunity.

Valley settled into their game though, and a Cain Thomas cross was just cut out by a defender with Danico Johnson poised to pounce.

The opening goal came after Ryan Seal had been dispossessed, with Tom Garrick taking advantage of the resulting through ball to round Matt Hill and squeeze the ball home.

Town were soon level, when Johnson was fouled on the left hand side of the penalty box to allow Seal to make amends with a low, hard spot-kick past Rangers' keeper Lewis Elsom.

The equaliser prompted a period of assuredness from Rugby, with Dylan Parker and Johnson both threatening and the visitors also earning a succession of corners.

The game's flashpoint came on 44 minutes, after Evans had been tackled by Jack Gurney on the left wing, with the entanglement of the two players on the ground resulting in Evans receiving a red card for an alleged stamp.

The Town ten men started the new half well though, with Jamal Clarke's goalbound header kept out by Elsom and Liam Francis nearly helping the rebound home.

Elsom was then off his line quickly to deny Johnson, after Seal had picked him out with a neat curled through ball, with further chances for Seal and Parker also following for Rugby.

Seal made no mistake on 64 minutes when he smashed the ball across and past Elsom after James Hancocks had played him in.

However Deeping found the net against the run of play, when Garrick scrambled home his second after the ball had bounced around the box, and then the same man completed his hat-trick when he beat Francis to a searching pass to ultimately lob over Hill with ten minutes of normal time remaining.

Town's best chance of a late equaliser came after Johnson almost capitalised on a long upfield clearance from Hill, but a well-executed sliding tackle by Luke Hunnings saved the day for the home side.

Valley Line-up: Hill; Clarke, Francis, Rosser; Thomas, Evans, Hancocks, C.Thomas (Elliott), Seal; Parker, Johnson. Subs not used: Marsden, Padmore, Bradshaw. Booked: Elliott, Thomas. Sent off: Evans

Deeping line-up: Elsom, Flack, Anderson, Burton-Jones, Hunnings, Davies, Gurney, Banister, Mooney, Jarvis, Garrick. Subs: Carter, Coulson, Simpson, Olbromski, Bircham.